Billiards Gear: Pool Cues, Chalk, Gloves, Balls and Home Tables

This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

The moment you unzip your own cue case for the first time, screw the shaft into the butt and feel it balance in your hand, pool changes. No more rolling house cues on the table to find one that’s straight. This is our billiards gear guide: pool cues and tips, cases, chalk and gloves, balls, home tables with the room sizes they need, and the recovery gear for a back that’s been bent over a table all night.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

The quick checklist: a straight two-piece cue, a case, chalk, a tip tool, and a glove if your bridge hand sticks. For a home table: the right size for your room, a set of phenolic balls and a cover.

Our top picks

Pool cues: what matters

For WPA competition a cue must be at least 40 inches long, weigh no more than 25 ounces and have a tip no wider than 14 mm, and a metal ferrule can’t be longer than an inch. Inside those limits, most players use a 58-inch, two-piece cue around 18 to 21 ounces.

• Two-piece vs one-piece: two-piece cues come apart for a case and travel; one-piece cues are the house cues on the wall.
• Weight: start around 18–19 ounces. Heavier isn’t more powerful if you can’t control it.
• Shaft: hard maple is the classic. Carbon-fiber and “low-deflection” shafts cost more and are sold for less cue-ball squirt on spin shots.
• Wrap: Irish linen, leather or wrapless; it’s about the feel in your back hand.

A solid first cue: the Viking Valhalla 100 has a hard rock maple shaft, a stainless steel joint, a weight system set at 18 ounces and a lifetime warranty against warping, for about $120 on Amazon. Players switching cues mid-match is legal under the WPA rules, so a separate break or jump cue can come later. For kids and small rooms, see the short cues on our kids and pool page.

Check the Viking Valhalla 100 price on Amazon

Tips, chalk and tip care

The tip is the only part of the cue that touches the ball. It must be leather or another fibrous, pliable material that can’t damage the ball. A miscue, when the tip slides off the ball, usually comes from hitting too far off-center or not enough chalk. Keep the tip shaped and scuffed: the Willard tip shaper (about $10) restores a dime radius of 0.358 inches and fits on a key chain.

Chalk is cheap; use it. The WPA recommends only green and blue chalk on tournament tables, and allows your own chalk if its color suits the cloth. Master chalk (12 cubes, about $10, made in the USA) is the everyday standard; Predator 1080 Pure (5 pieces with a holder, about $12) is a premium option many players like.

Cases

A cue that rides loose in a car trunk warps or dents. The Casemaster Q-Vault Supreme has a hard resin shell with a soft lining, a moisture-resistant leatherette exterior and an accessory pocket for chalk and a tip tool, and holds one butt and one shaft, for about $22. Add a bigger case (2×2 or 2×4) once you own a break or jump cue.

Gloves

The WPA rules allow gloves, as well as hand powder in reasonable amounts. A three-finger glove on the bridge hand lets the cue glide even when your hand is sweaty or the room is humid. The Predator Second Skin has a low-friction surface, breathable mesh, a non-slip heel pad and a hook-and-loop closure, in left- or right-hand versions (about $31). The Cuetec Axis (about $28) is a close alternative. Buy the hand you bridge with: right-handed players wear it on the left.

Check the Predator Second Skin glove price on Amazon

Balls

WPA spec balls are cast phenolic resin, 2¼ inches across, 5½ to 6 ounces, unpolished and unwaxed; clean them with a cloth, or soap and water. Aramith’s phenolic sets are the standard: the Aramith Pure set (about $214) and the Aramith Crown Standard (about $129). Aramith says phenolic resin lasts up to five times longer than polyester and similar balls, and it’s easier on the cloth.

Home tables: sizes and room space

The WPA sets a 9-foot table’s playing surface at 100 x 50 inches and an 8-foot’s at 92 x 46. Tournament tables have slate at least an inch thick in three equal pieces and a bed 29¼ to 31 inches off the floor. The hard part at home is the space around the table: you need room to stroke a full-length cue from every rail. Brunswick Billiards’ room guide gives these minimums:

Table (playing surface)	With 58-inch cues	With 52-inch cues	With 48-inch cues
7 ft (38 x 76 in)	13′ x 16′	12′ x 15′	11’6″ x 14’6″
8 ft (44 x 88 in)	13′ x 17′	12′ x 15’6″	11’2″ x 15′
9 ft (50 x 100 in)	14′ x 18′	12’6″ x 16’6″	12′ x 16′

• Tight room? Keep a pair of short cues for the cramped side, or step down a table size.
• Slate vs non-slate: slate tables are heavy, stay flat and usually need pro installation and leveling. Budget tables are lighter and easier. The GoSports 7-foot table (about $600, roughly 200 pounds, legs attach to a pre-assembled top, with foot levelers) recommends a room of at least 16 x 13 feet; balls and cues aren’t included.
• Light it well: the WPA asks for at least 520 lux on every point of the bed and rails in competition, and a non-movable lamp no lower than 65 inches above the bed, with no glare in the players’ eyes.
• Care: brush or vacuum the cloth with a soft brush or brushless vacuum (WPA advice), and cover the table when you’re not playing.

Check the GoSports 7 ft pool table price on Amazon

Recovery gear for long nights at the table

Pool’s aches are mostly the low back, neck and feet, from hours of bending and standing. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends aerobic exercise plus exercises that keep the back and abdominal muscles strong and flexible, and good posture. Many players also keep a TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 foam roller (about $40) for the hips and upper back, a compact Theragun Mini massage gun (about $220) for the shoulders and the bridge-arm forearm, and OOFOS OOahh recovery slides (about $60) for tired feet after a tournament. These are comfort tools, not treatment. Back pain that runs down a leg or doesn’t settle in a few weeks needs a sports medicine doctor or physical therapist. Our best foam rollers, best massage guns and best recovery shoes guides compare more, and our billiards recovery page covers the routine.

Back to the billiards hub, or see the rules, leagues, training and best wearables for pool players. Play golf too? Our golf gear list is a good read.

Billiards gear questions

What weight pool cue should I get?

Most players use something around 18 to 21 ounces, and 18–19 is a comfortable start. Some cues, like the Viking Valhalla, have a weight system you can adjust later. The WPA maximum is 25 ounces.

How much room do I need for a pool table?

With standard 58-inch cues, Brunswick’s guide gives about 13 x 16 feet for a 7-foot table, 13 x 17 for an 8-foot and 14 x 18 for a 9-foot. Shorter cues let you go a little smaller.

Do I need a billiard glove?

No, but many players like one. It helps the cue slide smoothly over a sweaty or dry bridge hand, and the WPA rules allow it. Wear it on your bridge hand.

What chalk color should I use?

Match it to the cloth so marks show less. For competition, the WPA recommends only green or blue chalk.

Are phenolic balls worth it?

If you play a lot, yes. The WPA spec calls for cast phenolic resin balls, and Aramith says phenolic lasts up to five times longer than polyester. For occasional home games, a cheaper resin set works fine.